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shit-begone · 5 months ago

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WISHES (Part 1)

Wishes (Masterlist) | Next (Part 2)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE:

Include your SVT Friends in your imagination depending from their biases. Mingyu, Jeonghan and Seungkwan have girlfriends in this AU. Happy reading!

Y/N - Your name | Y/FN - Your full name | Y/LN - Your last name

SEUNGCHEOL X READER

DINO AS SECOND MALE LEAD

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WORD COUNT (Part 1 to Part 9): 45,515

STORY LINE:

*Lee Chan/Dino as your best friend that suddenly confessed his feelings for you.

*Choi Seungcheol/Cheol as the annoying mutual friend who wants to be a part of your life.

The confusion began when you realized that your best friend may have offered you the world while your annoying friend that resembles a lot like your college heartbreaker, Seok-jin, wanted to be part of yours.

It was an easy-peasy thing for you, not until you had to join Chan and Cheol in a five-day vacation with the boys.

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PART 1 WISHES: Rejected Confession

WORD COUNT 5,151

CATEGORY Fluff and Angst

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VACATION DAY 1

You were quietly waiting by the poolside for your friends to come.

"11:47am..." you sighed, "They should be here by now." You hate it when people show up late to appointments– be it serious matters or just for vacation. It was almost 12 o'clock and you have been excluding yourself from the boys whom were drinking by the hall.

"Hey, Y/N! I already told you earlier they'd be running late!" Soon-young screamed from where they were seated.

"Come drink with us instead." Minghao said as he raised a glass of whiskey-on-the-rocks to you.

"Sorry, I don't drink hard."

"I'll make you drink hard." Seungcheol said in a low register.

"Ooooooooh," The group exclaimed.

"Make me," you said as you stood up and approached the guys by the hall. You were always so irritated of Seungcheol because of the persistent discourse extravaganza that happens between the both of you.

"I will definitely make you," Seungcheol winked at you.

You stared piercingly into Seungcheol's soul as you grab a handful of chips across the table.

You walked to the other side of the hall and sat beside Seokmin, "Have you heard from Chan? He's not answering my call."

"He didn't leave me a message either. Don't worry; they'll be here any moment."

You were kind of guilty about leaving Chan behind— not returning the favor; he helped you close your cafe last night because you were short-staffed, only to accept Seungcheol's offer to drop you home.

**Flashback from last night**

PRE-VACATION

"Why is Seungkwan not around?" Chan asked pulling down the blinds of your cafe.

"He called in sick, that's why I don't have anyone to help me," you said.

"Good thing I was your last customer for tonight."

"You always do that every time Seungkwan is not around, I am not surprised anymore. Would you like to apply for internship in my cafe?" You jested.

"If the cafe owner wanted an architect apprentice in front of the espresso machines, then I don't see any issue with me being your intern during closing shifts," he smiled.

"No issues here, Sir. But I just don't want to take up too much time from you. I know you still have many projects to draft. Tonight is alright," You gripped Chan’s arm.

"You know, I could---"

"Nooooo, actually, everything is too much, you'll always be a part of this cafe anyway."

Chan smiled. He was undoubtedly a part of your cafe. Both interior and exterior designs of your cafe were all drafted by him for free in preparation for his apprenticeship. It was also the first project he ever included in his portfolio, that's why he has always been thankful as much as you are.

"Closed already?" A familiar voice asked— Choi Seungcheol, "I was thinking about having some iced cappuccino."

"Wow," you mocked, "Tired of drinking beer, Cheol?"

"Hmmm," he clicked his tongue, "Kinda."

"Well it would be beer for tonight because we're closed."

You ran your final check through the CCTV synced in your phone and checked all locks as you called it a day.

"Want a ride?" Cheol and Dino offered at the same time.

You were surprised.

"Uhh, actually I was going with Chan—"

"But your apartment is just along my way," Seungcheol insisted.

"It is okay, Y/N. I actually have plan to meet some colleagues after dropping you home, well maybe I can go directly now, thanks to Cheol." Chan smiled.

You were confused. You know for sure that Chan didn't mention anything about meeting his colleagues.

"Are you sure?" You asked.

He just smiled at you, "Yes, see you tomorrow."

"You take care, Dino," Seungcheol exclaimed.

"Take care, Y/N," Chan smiled.

"You too," You said.

"We'll get going. See you tomorrow, alright? I'll just fetch Y/N tomorrow," Cheol said.

You and Seungcheol walked opposite of Chan's direction; you were still wondering about Chan's sudden change of his plans. But maybe it is okay, after all, you'll all be meeting tomorrow with the boys and your girlfriends.

You were always thankful how Chan has always been a good friend to you ever since you were in college; you grew together as best friends.

"Can we stop by the store before heading home?" You asked Seungcheol as you fix your seatbelt.

"I would charge you gas money for the extra trip there, lady," He said as he started the engine.

"You know, I could have just agreed to come with Chan, if only he doesn't have plans for tonight."

"Couldn't take a joke, huh?"

"Are we tight?"

"About to get tight; but not that tight," He smiled.

"Whatever you meant by that, I hope it's good."

//If Only You Knew; Patti LaBelle plays on the radio//

I dream of moments we share

But you're not there

I'm living in a fantasy

Cause you don't even suspect

Could probably care less

About the changes I been going through

"Your playlist is cheesy."

"Are you moved, Y/N?"

"No. It just does not suit you at all. You are annoying and stuff."

"Oh I was hoping you'd notice."

"Notice what, Seungcheol?"

"What? I didn't say anything." He said as he ignored your question.

"Anyway, do you need anything from the store?"

"Uhh, I think none? But I want to check what other stuff might give a kick to my heart," He said as he parked the car.

"Beer might kick you in the head." You rolled your eyes.

"You are always mean to me." He pouted.

"You always come uninvited." You mocked.

"So you're saying that you don't want me around? But if it's Lee Chan, it's never an issue."

"He's my best friend. Again, are we tight, Cheol?"

"No, but we are mutual friends, right? Some of your girlfriends were my boys' love interests. Does that make sense to you?"

"Just doesn’t be such a nuisance. You look like you bite," you chuckled.

"Who am I, Soon-young with his tiger agenda?"

Cheol laughed as he opened the door to the convenience store for you. He's really annoying, thinking that not everyone from his circle is close to you, especially him. But you already feel comfortable with Seungkwan, Mingyu, Jeonghan and of course with your best friend Chan. But with the rest, maybe it would probably progress. Who knows what might happen tomorrow with the guys?

You grabbed mango jelly and rice cake for your dinner.

"Isn't that a little unhealthy after a long day?" He asked.

"You're annoying. Do you really need to pick on what I eat?"

"I am just concerned, jeez. You're the one that looks like they bite." Seungcheol exclaimed with a little tone of him giving up on your attitude.

Seungcheol grabbed two packs of beer and smiled at you, "For me and Jeonghan, for some head kicking night."

"How's his girlfriend doing tho’?"

"She's kinda busy tonight, that's why Jeonghan called, and he said her girlfriend gave him permission to have fun with me tonight."

"You're really close with Jeonghan, huh?"

"Yes, I see that you are as well. That's why I don't understand why you hate me. We're just in the same circle, c'mon. It's not fair."

"Answer that yourself. Have a great time with Jeonghan."

Seungcheol drove home after your trip to the convenience store. You felt sleepy as the night went long, or was it that he drove extra slower this time or were you just tired after a long day?

It didn't matter anyway, what's important was you were headed home.

"Hey! Hey!" You were waked by Seungcheol's light touch on your shoulder, "We're here."

You adjusted your position and opened your eyes. "Hnggg. Sorry, was I asleep for too long?"

"It has been 20 minutes since we arrived. I figured to let you take a full nap so you won't have headache later."

It's the first time you heard something pleasant out of Seungcheol's mouth.

"Thank you, Seungcheol." You smiled.

"Is it a good thing that you smiled at me or not?"

You rolled your eyes and opened the car door, "Please be safe."

"I'll pick you up at seven o'clock in the morning."

"Copy that, thank you!"

Seungcheol gestured that you go inside immediately before he leaves. You waved goodbye and went inside your apartment.

You opened Netflix and prepared your "unhealthy" dinner when you read something to your surprise that you almost choked on the rice cake.

"What could it be?" You mumbled reading Lee Chan's text of 'I have something important to tell you tomorrow.'

The following day...

Ring… ring… ring…

"Good morning!" The distinct voice said from the other line.

"What time will you be here?" You asked.

"Uhh. Now? Open up."

"You're early," You opened the door for Seungcheol.

"No. Just in time. Look at you."

"Wh--what?" You asked with confusion.

"Nah, just be quick. I know you're an early freak," He said as he slacked onto your couch, "And some water would be nice."

"And who are you?" You raised your brows.

"Or orange juice?" He smiled.

"Or better! I have something in mind." You sauntered towards the kitchen and prepared something for Cheol. With such excitement, you jogged to his direction with a glass on your hand, "Iced cappuccino. 20 hours cold brew."

He looked at you and the glass of iced cappuccino in awe even though he did not understand what you mean exactly by 20 hours cold brew. In his mind, he was stunned on how you pour your heart to your craft as he wondered if the espresso machine gives a different taste than the cold brew.

"This is nice, Y/N. I'd probably get this from your cafe more often." He said as he sipped from the drink.

"Ohhh. We don't use cold brew for our recipe in the cafe."

"Why?"

"Customers always look for the strong taste of freshly brewed coffee."

"I still don't understand. But whatever that is, I like this drink. Maybe I'll try cappuccino on my next visit."

"You should. You always order mocha blend anyway. Maybe it's time to try a new drink."

And with a few compliments from Seungcheol, you found yourself smiling.

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**END OF FLASHBACK**

"Let's get this party starteeeeed!" Jihoon shouted as he entered the hall with tequila bottles raised above his head.

Followed the rest of the group: Jeonghan, Seungkwan and Mingyu with their girlfriends; you caught Chan's eyes looking for you. He just waved his hand walked his way to the boys.

"Alright! Alright! Let's now talk about our final itinerary for our vacation," Seungkwan said as he unrolled his itinerary guide.

The whole group got so excited; they discussed their preference of activities simultaneously as Seungkwan was about to start with his discussion.

"On the first day---"

"I REALLY WANTED TO TRY THE GIANT SL---"

"SOON-YOUNG, I FUCKING SWEAR IF I GET INTERRUPTED AGAIN I WILL FUCKING RI---"

"Shh.. shhh.. It's alright, we're listening." Vernon hushed Seungkwan.

"Alright, alright, stop it now. Let's listen to Seungkwan." Joshua said as he looked at their two older friends Seungcheol and Jeonghan still murmuring.

"I hope we're roommates." Jeonghan said to Seungcheol.

"AND THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN IF YOU STILL DON'T LIS--- Calm, peace and vacation. I am Boo Seungkwan and I don't plan to have beef with you all."

As discussed by Seungkwan:

Itinerary

Day 1 Nature trip

Day 2 Island/Cave Hopping

Day 3 Water Park

Day 4 Jellyfish Sanctuary and Night Rave

Day 5 Free Diving

"Okay, we have a total of eight rooms in this villa, we have to share rooms," the hall is still filled with murmuring noises and personal agenda for the vacation, you could hardly hear Seungkwan from all the noise, "Just get your keys here," He placed the bowl of keys on the pantry counter-top.

As discussed:

Hall and Cabin Assignments

Cabin 1 by the Pool Mingyu and his girlfriend

Cabin 2 by the Pool Wonwoo and Joshua

Floor 1 Cabin 1 Seungkwan and his girlfriend

Floor 1 Cabin 2 Seokmin and Minghao

Floor 1 Cabin 3 Hoshi, Dino and Vernon

Floor 2 Cabin 1 Jeonghan and his girlfriend

Floor 2 Cabin 2 Jun and Jihoon

Floor 2 Cabin 3 Seungcheol and Y/N

"The tour guide said we'll start the nature itinerary by one o'clock in the afternoon. Maybe we could continue drinking sometime this evening?" Mingyu suggested.

"Alright, I'll head to my cabin now." Wonwoo said.

Everyone took turns in getting their keys. You waited for them to find theirs so you could have your turn. Everyone's just so busy with their own agenda: some were still drinking, some were taking pictures and some were by the pool.

"Hey, Y/N! Have your bikini ready! We'll dip by the pool in a bit." Jeonghan's girlfriend exclaimed.

"Sure! I'll just go and grab my--"

"Y/N," Chan said as he showed you the keys with a charm that matched your name.

"Thank you, Chan," you smiled, "Talk to you in a bit?"

Dino nodded. By then, he was aggressively pulled by Soon-young and thrown him into the pool.

"Yaaa! I said no throwing!" Jeonghan exclaimed.

You smiled along the craziness of the boys.

You walked through the villa to find your cabin. The place has a fresh vibe; plants, wooden furniture and the smell of coffee leading to the kitchen. You will definitely make a few cups for the girls while you stay by the pool, but first, you really need to get in character!

You opened your cabin door, fixed your things in the dresser and started changing to your bikini. You started singing to your favorite song when suddenly...

"FUCKING HELL!" Seungcheol exclaimed.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" You covered yourself with a towel and threw pillows at Seungcheol. "Don't you know how to knock??!"

He covered his face with his bags as he avoided the pillows you thrown, "Don't you know how to lock the door?"

"Get out!"

"Alright! Alright!" He was in total shock and hurried his way to the bathroom, "I'm out!"

"That's not the way out, you pervert! That's the bathroom."

Seungcheol laughed and walked across the room. He put his bag on the floor and his things in the dresser next to him, "Yo, why should I be startled to see you? This is my room." He said.

"Well this is my room! You have mistaken your room!"

"You're roommates. Deal with it," Jun shouted from outside your cabin, "Now let Seungcheol go so we could grab more beer downstairs."

"You heard the guy." Seungcheol said with pride.

"But, wh---."

"You know, I don't understand why I panicked when I saw you changing to your bikini. As if I'm not gonna see you wearing that with the girls, eh?"

"I didn't hear Seungkwan mention your name along mine."

"Y/N, relax, it's just for four nights. I'm pretty sure you don't want to sleep beside me, so let's compromise. First two nights, you use the bed, I sleep on the couch. Then on the other two, we swap."

"I approve. But then, who told you that I wanted to sleep beside you?"

"Exactly! No one! Relax. Enjoy the vacation." He walked past you, "And by the way. You look good." He winked.

Should you be bothered of that wink or just be annoyed? You shrugged off the feeling and decided to continue with the day; you have a fun day ahead and as promised, you prepared a few cups of coffee for your friends to enjoy.

"Americanoooooo!!" Seungkwan exclaimed as he ran to you.

"Of course I prepared your favorite!"

"Do you have matcha, Y/N?" Mingyu's girlfriend asked from the pool.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't prepare matcha. Do you want fruit soda, tho? Or Macchiato?"

"Macchiato sounds nice!" She said.

"I'll be there!" You walked towards the hall.

You grabbed coffee requests for the girls and put the remaining cups on the table.

"Please tell me if you want a more specific flavor other than these flavors we got here." You smiled to the boys.

"Thank you for the coffee, Y/N!" Joshua said.

As you turned your back, you heard Seungcheol tell one of the boys: "You should try her cappuccino. It's so good." Your heart fluttered with the compliment and joined the ladies by the pool.

"So Y/N," Seungkwan's girlfriend drew close to you, "Who do you find most attractive among the boys?"

You were surprised of the question, "Ohh, why would I know the answer to that?"

"Uhhh, we just thought that Seungcheol might be into you," Jeonghan's girlfriend said, "I've overheard their conversation while he and Jeonghan were having beer last night. He talked a lot of stuff about you."

"And if you think you could still exchange rooms with anyone, I already instructed Seungkwan to let you and Seungcheol stay on your posts for five days." Seungkwan's girlfriend said as they exchanged giggles and high-fives.

"What the fuck?? Did you set me up?" You asked them.

"Technically, yes. We're trying to observe how Seungcheol would react to the idea. Don't worry, only Seungkwan knew about this; just us five!” Jeonghan's girlfriend said.

Suddenly, some of Seungcheol's actions mattered to you. You thought— of course, why would he show up to your cafe when it's already closing time? And why would he offer to fetch you this morning knowing that he would still travel a few more kilometers if he could just wait for me in his house? After all, the vacation site was bound to his direction. Also the way he became avoidant of your question when a cheesy song played last night in the car what was the meaning of that?

Maybe you were just overanalyzing things.

"We'll never know what might happen for five days." Seungkwan murmured as he casually walked past you.

The girls laughed and you just let out a nervous one.

What if Cheol was really into me?

What if they're just messing with me so that it would look like I was the one chasing after him?

But what if... if it's true?

Will Cheol mess with my head?

Will Cheol take advantage of me when I'm sleeping?

Will Cheol tease me?

Will he know that I knew?

Will he like me back?

What??? Huh? What? What the fuck?

Like back who?!

Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking.

"EEEEW!" You exclaimed.

The girls laughed at your reaction.

You decided to chase Seungkwan to haggle about the room arrangement. ,"BOO SEUNGKWAN!!!!"

"No, not gonna happen, miss." He sipped on his americano.

"I'll adjust your free coffee limit to unlimited. Just rearrange the room assignments please."

"No Y/N, I can make coffee at home."

"Uhh, let's just agree that we have additional five paid leaves for the both of us."

"Nah, I'm good. I think you're the one that needs the necessary leaves. Look at you, all dry and unloved. I bet only Seungcheol could make you wet... uhhh hydrated I mean." He laughed.

"What the fuck, Kwanniee?!?!!"

"Okay, Y/N, will you accept the current room assignment or you will go around these people asking for them to swap with you just because you are uneasy with Cheol? Really now? Do you think these guys would believe you? Worse is that they could tease you all throughout this five-day trip. Say what?"

"I will find a way."

Everyone continued with their own activities and noon came so fast. The tour guide came and instructed the group to pack their necessities for the nature trip. You travelled via minivan across the area as you sang to upbeat songs.

The destination was a lake nearby. The couples have set up a picnic blanket for the snacks, some tried to fish while others resumed with their drinking sessions.

You sat alone by the lake dock and watched the sun set.

"The golden hour never failed to be pretty." Dino said as he sat beside you.

"Indeed very pretty." You said.

"Just like your eyes."

"Silly you," you chuckled, "You made me worried, you were late. How was your catch up with friends last night?"

"Uhh..ohh it went well." He said as he looked afar.

"I know you too well. I was confused last night. You did not mention any plan on meeting friends, and then when Seungcheol came, you suddenly had plans? Really, Dino?" You grabbed some chips from his food box.

"Uhhh."

"Come on let's talk," you smiled, "You said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Can we do that a little late tonight? By the beach; it’s just a few walk from the villa."

"Why can't it be now?" You sulked.

"Trust me."

"Sure. I trust you, Chan."

"I know, and for the past seven years, I'm lucky to have gained your trust."

"Stop being so dramatic! We're best friends right?"

"Y--y-yes. Best friends. For life." He let out his hand and you responded with your signature fist bump.

As you watched the sunset together, he grabbed your hand and cupped it inside his warm hands— never letting go. Knowing Dino, he only does that every time he feels safe and happy. He played with your small fingers and looked at them with bliss in his smile. It's not every day that you get the version of Chan this vulnerable yet strong.

"It's time to go. It's almost dark!" Soon-young shouted from the tree house. You stood up and packed your things.

"Please don't leave me. I feel so warm with you."

"I'm not going anywhere Y/N." Dino said.

You giggled and clung onto his arms as both of you walked slowly along the dock. As you approached the group whom was busy packing up, you accidentally had a glance at Seungcheol looking at how you held onto Chan's arms with his dark drunken eyes; he noticed you were looking so he pretended he was busy with his buddies. Your hands stayed on Chan's arms yet your eyes never left Seungcheol's figure— only to have witnessed that he looked at you for the second time around.

At first glance, it may be a coincidence, but after knowing the probability of Cheol having a crush on you, you knew: that look meant something.

*****

"WELCOME TO ROWAKI CLUB!" All staff greeted your arrival.

"I hope you enjoyed the first day. We prepared you our Rowaki Welcome Course to thank our valued guests for visiting our beach club. Please enjoy, and we will leave the rest of the night to you. We hope to see you around!" The head chef gestured a bow, offered you seats and led his team out of the villa.

Having seated, you saw Seungcheol making his way to you when Chan suddenly put a hand on your shoulder and sat beside you. Your mind was noticing a lot lately with Seungcheol's behavior but you don't want to believe anything from your observations, not until he confesses on his own.

"Y/N, what can I get you?" Dino asked.

"A little bit of everything please! And lots of rice!!"

"Anyone wants coffee?" You asked the crowd.

"Flat white, please!" Vernon said.

"Anyone else?" You insisted.

"Some are drunk now, Y/N. Let them be." Dino chuckled.

You hurried your way to the kitchen as Chan prepared food for you. The day isn't complete without three to four glasses of coffee, right? At least you'll get to drink right up this time; drunk people prefer food over coffee anyway.

"Iced cappuccino please, Y/N."

You looked at him and felt worried, "Cheol, you should be resting. That's too much beer. I won't make you coffee either. You need to sober up first," you grabbed the beer from his hand, "Why don't you eat first so you could go rest now, huh?"

"You say I drank too much beer. I say, that's enough coffee for you as well." Cheol took back his beer and leaned by the wall as he watched you make coffee.

"Please rest, you're all red," you placed your hand on Cheol's cheek, "..and hot."

"You're very pretty, Y/N." He smiled.

"Cheol, you're just drunk."

"I may be drunk, but you're always pretty in my eyes."

"You need to rest."

You left Seungcheol in the kitchen, returned to the dining area with Vernon's coffee and sat beside Chan. Seungcheol returned to the dining area with his beer and sat beside Jeonghan.

You enjoyed the food and laughed along the funny conversations after meal time. One by one, people started to drift back to their cabins; first to go was Jeonghan and his girlfriend. That guy really has a small energy for such big days. Wonwoo started to clean up the dining area and was helped by Minghao.

"Hey, Y/N, it's almost midnight. Would you like to go to the beach?" Chan reminded you of the "talk" he wanted.

"Of course, shall we?" You smiled.

He offered his hand and you held onto it with no hesitation. You reminisced about your college adventures while walking by the shore, you clearly remembered the day when you met each other: Dino was just about to throw his blueprint tube case to his classmate when at the same time you ascended on their floor and you were the one hit instead.

"I was really angry that moment, Dino!!!" You laughed so hard to that memory.

"You fucking piece of shit!" Dino reenacted your anger from seven years ago as he was catching his breath of too much laughter.

"Yaaaa! That's too much. I was a bit gentle that time huh!" You pinched Chan's love handles.

"Good times," he chuckled, "That pinch hurt, huh?!?"

The laughter slowly faded away until you were left only with the sea breeze whispering to your ears.

"Can I hold your hand, Y/N?"

"Sure."

"Please face me." Dino held your hands.

There was a long silence– longer than you could have ever imagined. You didn't interrupt him; you patiently waited for his words instead. You chose to respect the time he needed for this moment.

All you can see from the moonlight was his gentle face and his eyes longing to meet yours. You felt a gentle grip from his hands as he cleared his throat.

"Y/N the thing is..." He cleared his throat one more time, "We both know that the guys knew about our friendship for who knows how long? But I wanted to tell these words, only to you with no one else listening; just me, you and this heart."

You didn't say anything. You just listened.

He held your hand tighter, "I want to thank you for being a good friend. Not just a good friend, but a very loving best friend as well. You knew me ever since we have started to find our luck as teenagers until today as we struggle to be responsible adults on our own. I treasure this friendship so damn much..." his voice cracked and let out a big sigh, "...that.. I don't want to..nn-n-no... that even the idea of ending this friendship hurts my gut."

You started to feel a little worried what he might say next. But you know Lee Chan. He can manage.

"I honestly don't know what will happen next after this moment. But I know that this would be the right place and the right time to tell you. You have been very special to me, in all ways possible and I really appreciate that we care for each other."

The silence was still.

"I'm in love with you, Y/N, I knew it all this time that I love you, and if this would change anything— good or bad to our friendship, just know that it's fine with me. I just want to be honest and sincere," he hugged you tight. Tighter than he usually does, "And if this would be the last time I get to do this, please forgive me."

You were surrounded by dead air and Dino's warm arms.

"I love you; I was hoping that you knew. Can't you notice, Y/N? I want to make you feel how much I love you."

You don't know what to say. You eased the atmosphere by lightly stroking his hair as his face was buried to your shoulder.

"Happy seven years to our friendship, Y/N." Dino said releasing you from the hug with awkwardness from his eyes.

"Hey, Dino," you held his hand tightly and looked into his eyes, "You're a good person. Nothing will change. It's just that, I really just see you...."

"As a friend." He interrupted.

You nodded, "Thank you for being honest, Chan. I really appreciate it. But I can't reciprocate what you feel; I don't want to be unfair with you."

"I understand, Y/N."

"Happy seven years of friendship, Dino, I promise you, nothing will change."

He initiated another hug and kissed the top of your head as he usually does, "But please understand that this will hurt a little, alright?"

"I do understand; you will need space from time to time, right?"

"Yes and I promise, nothing will change, I just need a little more time to get back up, I guess?" He chuckled, "I love you, Y/N." Dino said, with you still locked in his arms.

"I love you too, Lee Chan."

"I know," He said, "And that's two different things, right?"

"I know you're smart, Architect Lee!" You lightly punched his chest.

"How 'bout a piggy back?" Dino offered as he squatted right in front of you. You hopped on his back and squeezed your leg to his waist, "Hold on tight!"

That's why you were friends with this smarty pants. You can be honest around him for he is very understanding. But you knew this was a completely different situation: battling across the thin line between being friends and being lovers.

You finally reached the villa and Dino offered to walk you upstairs to your cabin.

"We should rest now. We still got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow." He leaned in for a hug as you stopped in front of your cabin door.

"Goodnight, Dino."

"Goodnight, Y/N."

As you closed the door behind you, the frame of the annoying Choi Seungcheol caught your attention: he was lying on the bed on his stomach.

"YAAAA! I thought I'd be the first one to use the bed!" You exclaimed as you tried to wake him up.

"Hngggg. Will you knock it off?" He said as he shoo away your hands.

"Wake up, Cheol! Hurry up I'm tired!"

He didn't respond to your second attempt to wake him. You gave him one last shake where he gave out a hint of little movements. He slowly sat up looking at you from your eyes to your thighs, back to your eyes. You clenched your fists in nervousness to what Cheol was capable of doing to you now that he is drunk and looking at you like that.

He drew closer to you…

And you were scared…

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Wishes (Masterlist) | Next (Part 2)

#svt #svt x reader #svt au #seventeen #choi seungcheol #seventeen seungcheol #seungcheol smut #seungcheol fluff #seungcheol angst #svt dino #seventeen dino #dino x reader #dino seventeen #seventeen au #seungcheol au #lee chan x you #seventeen fluff

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lily-blue · 1 year ago

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13 reasons why | reason no.9: the cupcakes are heavenly

☆ characters: baker!mingyu & food critic!you (Sooyoung - ‘97 liner) ☆ genre: coffee shop au, slowburn ☆ summary: your love life consists of flavourful dishes, delicious desserts and your best friend’s stories about his relationship with the sweetest girl; that is, until Mingyu decides to add something luscious into the mix ☆ words: 12,9k ☆ massive thank you: to @dat-town ♥ for everything! ☆ taglist: @soobin-chois

➼ chapter index

Food, especially sweets, had always had a special place in your heart, because as soon as you had grown old enough to understand your parents’ relationship wasn’t ideal, they had become your safe place. Shortcakes, cupcakes, croissants - when they were made expertly, they could put a smile on your face even on the most emotionally draining days as if they had indeed been made with that one magical secret ingredient that you were desperately missing around your parents: love.

Becoming a food critic had been a semi-conscious decision that had become your passion in university. It had started small: with silly albeit professional posts on your Tumblr blog under the sarcastic nickname Joy where you had uploaded aesthetic pictures of the food you had tried, given stars to the places in different categories with a few additional words to express your opinion and credited the experience to the restaurants and coffee shops by mentioning their name and address.

When your curt comments had turned into few-paragraph-long articles was lost on you. But you still remember the day when your blog’s popularity had skyrocketed and you realised that you could make enough money from your hobby to never have to look for a job that’s related to your major: boring finances. It had been the day you had posted your first short video on Youtube with your article’s link in the description below. People had loved your sarcasm and the dynamic pacing of your edit. They had loved it so much and so actively that sponsors had started to email you about collaborations and the platform paid you for creating content.

It felt surreal up to this day, but you had gotten more than fifteen minutes of fame.

You were still as hated as loved: truly, at the peak of your career.

Fancy restaurant and small diner owners alike kept requesting reviews from you so that they could boost their popularity, but you rarely gave the time of day to those emails, because they made you feel as though you were buyable despite never taking their money. Therefore, even if those places piqued your interest, you simply jotted their names down in your notebook and gave them a try months later when the pressure to write them a good review wasn’t palpable anymore. You didn’t do well with pushy people.

Except when that pushy person was your best friend, Felix, who couldn’t shut up about his new favourite coffee shop close to his girlfriend’s workplace. Coffee Carat was a constant in your conversations ever since Yewon had started her internship in March and you finally got to a point where you thought you had to see for yourself whether their cupcakes were really as otherworldly as Felix claimed them to be or else there was a huge possibility you would snap at him. And there were only a few things you hated more than fighting with your loved ones.

The morning rush’s buzzing noises were pleasantly lively when you walked up to the counter in your red high heels and your steps came to a halt at the end of the shorter line. You didn’t mind the crowd nor the extra time you spent in the shop waiting, because you had chosen this time of the day on purpose. You wanted to see how well the baristas worked when customers had just a tad bit less patience and so far you weren’t disappointed in their professionalism.

You offered a grateful smile to the barista who took your order and carried your tray to one of the empty tables in the back of the customer area, pleased with the interior design and the amount of sunlight the voile curtains let into the coffee shop. Even with purposely taking the chair that was facing the window, you weren’t blinded by the light, which definitely earned the place a couple of brownie points. You liked places that took their time to cater to all of their customers.

Comfortably seated, you took your phone out of your long coat’s pocket and took a few takes of the pretty decoration on the curtains, your table and the cupcakes you had bought. You made sure the videos had similar starting and ending points so that the transitions would be smoother and more natural in the final product. Then, you were ready for the taste test.

‘Excuse me!’ A pleasant voice, albeit a bit unsure, addressed you and you put your chocolate cupcake back on the porcelain plate before you turned towards your intruder. It wasn’t hard to recognize the coffee shop’s uniform in the man’s outfit, but that just made you confused. You knew for a fact that making videos at places that were open for the public wasn’t against the law until there were no concrete signs that asked you not to take pictures or record videos. Had you missed a sign like that?

You were about to apologise and ask for special permission if that was the case, when the man shot you a small smile and bowed his head respectfully.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I was just wondering whether we could take a picture together? I’m a big fan of your blog and I just… had to give it a try,’ the barista was rambling and while it wasn’t the first time someone recognized you, it never ceased to amaze you how some people turned so shy in your presence when they were clearly brave enough to walk up to you. You could have never done the same when it came to your idols, but it was true that you weren’t in the same league as Taemin and Junho from 2PM.

‘It’s okay. We can take a photo,’ you agreed easily, never one to say no for such easy requests despite your sarcastic personality. Stealing a glance at the counter behind the man’s back, you actually appreciated that he had waited until the lines had gotten shorter.

You decided to stand up so that the barista - Seokmin as his nametag suggested - didn’t have to bend his back too much and took a couple of different pictures with his own phone until there was at least one in which you looked presentable. Not that you asked him to delete the rest. It didn’t matter to you, really, but your society was fixated on beauty standards and you wanted him to be able to share this experience on social media in case he wanted to. For that, he needed a good photo.

‘But you being my fan won’t affect my review. I’m not this easy to charm,’ you stated with a pinch of playfulness in your voice, facial expression stoic. You obviously meant every word, but Felix liked to tease you about how unintentionally rude you could come off whenever you were overly honest, so you tried to lighten your tone lately when breaking down the obvious. You weren’t sure it was working. A part of you felt it made you sound ridiculous, but well… practice made perfect.

‘Of course! You really shouldn’t be,’ the barista agreed with a wide smile and you wondered how some people made acting friendly look so easy. Not that you were a bad friend material. If anyone, your best friend could vouch for you that you were caring and understanding under the surface. But smiling at someone you had never met before so brightly? You could have never. ‘And I’m not worried about your review. Mingyu’s cupcakes are seriously the best,’ he said before the female barista called his name from behind the counter and he bowed his head again, grateful for the pictures you had taken.

You kept your gaze on Seokmin as he jogged up to his coworker and helped the girl with the coffee machine. You watched as he joked around with her effortlessly while a part of his focus was always on the task at hand and shook your head before you could have gone into a detailed analysis on how ineffective it made his work. It would have been a useless train of thought and you had come here to work anyway.

So you sat back on your chair and took the chocolate cupcake, you had been meaning to try, in your hands. It smelled delicious, a little citrusy, which was an achievement in itself taking the intensity of the dark cocoa powder you assumed they must have used when making it. The tiny card behind the display had suggested that it had an additional, orange flavour, but you had already tried a dozen of chocolate cupcakes in your life. Finding the balance between their rich, characteristic aroma and other, milder flavours was harder than it seemed.

One bite from the dessert was enough to acknowledge it was good; whoever had made the recipe was talented. However, the execution was almost amateur, and you didn’t understand why this made you disappointed when it shouldn’t have mattered. Coffee Carat was nowhere near the first coffee shop on your long list that failed to back up the hype. Still, you had more faith in Felix and his love for quality cupcakes and brownies.

Having been taught to never leave your food on your plate just because it didn’t reach your expectations, you finished your cupcakes in peace while you answered a couple of asks and comments on your social media accounts. Then, you left with a polite smile and the thought that you needed to take your best friend to a better coffee shop on your next friendly date on the weekend. Maybe you could have bought something sweet and creamy for his girlfriend, too, so that neither of them lowered their bar.

Food was self-love. Especially with desserts, no one should have made compromises.

You were used to the amount of notes, mentions, asks and messages you usually received on the day you posted a new review. You had learned it in the hard way not to be too hang up on the hate comments in your comments section for the sake of your mental health - people were more brutal in the Youtube community, a significant downside of expanding your brand and advertising your blog on another platform - and while it would have been a lie to say you had a foolproof method to scroll through the hate, now you were able to stop reading those lines when it became clear they had been written with malintention. You could focus on the good: the fun remarks, the constructive observations and the appreciation you received.

You tried out low quality places, so your followers didn’t have to and discovered rare gems, so that they could visit them knowing their food and drinks were worth the money.

Receiving demanding texts wasn’t a new thing, either. It was almost ridiculous how many people wanted you to change your opinion about a restaurant or café either for the worse or the better just to justify their preferences. You never wasted your time on these requests; that would have gone against your principles. And still, a week later, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, you found yourself in a situation when you couldn’t ignore the reappearing name in your spams anymore: Kim Mingyu.

Every damn message you got that week was about Kim Mingyu.

Thus, when you saw that a new Tumblr blog with the default profile picture of a triangle sent you a private message, you opened it and typed out an answer.

milkgyuandcookies: “please, you have to come back to the coffee shop again!” milkgyuandcookies: “i’m telling you we have the best cupcakes” milkgyuandcookies: “it’s all a misunderstanding! i’m begging you 🥺🥺” you: “i wrote my review about the cupcakes i purchased at your coffee shop, so i can’t see any misunderstandings or mistakes here” you: “i rarely visit the same place twice, let alone in such a short period of time” you: “i’m sorry, but you had your chance” milkgyuandcookies: “then make an exception, please!! you can’t just write a review like this about my cupcakes when those weren’t even my cupcakes 😭😭 have some mercy” you: “you sold those cupcakes, i wrote a review about them. next time don’t sell them if you’re not satisfied with how they turned out” milkgyuandcookies: “aren’t you listening? those aren’t my cupcakes!!” you: “well that’s not my problem. i’m not going back” milkgyuandcookies: “just this once, please!🙏🙏i’m on my knees” you: “i’m blocking you” milkgyuandcookies: “no!!” milkgyuandcookies: “wait!! 😭😭” milkgyuandcookies: “come back!! 🥺🥺”

You clicked on the three dots next to his username and blocked him like you promised before he could have kept going on about how you should have given their coffee shop a chance to redeem themselves despite your definite no. Whether those cupcakes had been baked by him personally or not shouldn’t have mattered. They had given their name to those sweets when they had let their customers buy them, so it wasn’t your fault that you had chosen a cupcake that tasted average. You didn’t see why you should have revisited their place because of a few pleading emojis and a half-assed excuse.

You weren’t heartless - it just wasn’t easy to coax sympathy out of you with pleading emojis. They had taken a poorly calculated risk and lost when you had picked a dessert that had not reached the promised quality. End of the story.

You spent the next two hours blocking every blog that messaged you about Kim Mingyu and another half an hour phrasing a curt answer to a polite ask that claimed Coffee Carat deserved more stars. Then, you disconnected your phone from your wifi and spent the rest of the day in your bed, binge-watching the Chinese drama you had found last week. Wang Yibo’s gamer character might have driven you up the wall when he started to neglect his girlfriend because of his mentally unstable ex, but the reappearing cliffhangers did their job wonderfully, taking your mind off your followers’ obsession with Kim Mingyu.

His cupcakes or not, what you had tasted didn’t deserve your praises and you stood by your opinion.

The original plan had been to celebrate Felix’s promotion at his favourite high-end restaurant, but that place was full until the end of August, so you had ended up making a reservation for his birthday instead and invited him over, promising the blondie an inexhaustible supply of doenjang jjigae and permission to choose the movie you would watch. It was the second best thing you could give him, you were both aware of it, because your tastes in movies were pretty different and most of the time he was powerless against your arguments. You prayed he wouldn’t make you regret each one of your life decisions - such as letting him sit next to you at the American diner you had first met or befriending him - and make you watch something that left you with no other choice but to sleep with the lights on. You still couldn’t get over your unreasonable fear of rollercoasters because of your Final Destination marathon and that had been ages ago.

‘Hm, it smells delicious,’ your best friend’s voice came from the front door along with those struggling noises that coaxed a genuine chuckle out of you without witnessing his battle with his shoes. His habit to tie his laces so tightly it became impossible to get rid of his sneakers without his hands was beyond you, especially because his hands were almost always full.

‘Better! It tastes delicious,’ you shouted back and turned off the stove with a snicker the same moment Felix finally emerged from the hall and walked past you to put his plastic bag on the counter and wash his hands by the kitchen sink.

As you two had previously agreed, he had taken a small detour to bring something sweet for dessert because while this jjigae recipe was your pride, you couldn’t bake to save your life and after numerous disheartening attempts in the past, you would have rather not given it another try at such a short notice.

‘What did you bring? Shortcakes? Pancakes?’ You asked while you stepped to your cabinet and took out half a dozen tiny bowls for your side dishes. The yellow radish in the lowest compartment in your fridge had been fermented by you a couple of weeks ago, but the napa cabbage and cucumber kimchis were new additions to your poor collection that you had purchased in the morning at the best organic food market downtown.

Although you couldn’t resist stealing a few bites here and there while you were distributing the side dishes, you did manage to leave the volcano steamed eggs untouched, which in itself was an achievement. Therefore, you let out a proud hum when you scanned the dining table, looking for important details you might have forgotten about.

‘Cupcakes,’ Felix said as he also opened your cabinet and fished out two inox rice bowls with their lids for the rice you had left in the rice cooker. Oh! How could you have forgotten about the rice? It was almost as important as your main dish.

You raised a brow without much elegance and watched as your best friend made himself at home in your humble flat.

‘They better be good,’ you threatened, although your voice was more playful than anything. It might have been over a month that you had set foot in Coffee Carat, but your friendly banters about those damned cupcakes and what delicious meant for the both of you had been a constant in your life ever since.

The pseudo-outraged scoff that left Felix’s mouth was the only retort you got, so you counted it as a win and didn’t drag out the topic. Instead, you put the jjigae in the middle of the table and let your friend dive in first although you were older than him. You were celebrating him, after all. And you had never been too keen on following conservative sentiments, anyway, like showing unconditional respect towards your elders and relatives. Your relationship with your parents had pretty much predetermined your thoughts on such matters. Thus, ever since you could have remembered, you appreciated one’s effort more than their age. Obviously, it had caused you headaches during your studies, but without a strict supervisor or a boss, it was almost too easy to live by your own rules. Even if it meant, some people called you rude and a disgraceful brat.

While eating, you listened to the blond boy’s endless chatter about the company dinner at which they had celebrated his promotion with his coworkers: how the other candidate, a loud guy named Yuksun who came from old money, had gotten wasted because he couldn’t have handled the decision. There were tears in your eyes from all that laughing when Felix’s story reached the climax, Yuksun’s futile attempts to drink Felix under the table being a comedy at its finest with the guy calling up his mom to take him home.

Since all you could have bragged about in exchange was the speed at which you had finished the tteokbokki you had ordered on Monday and the series you had almost finished the same day, you asked your friend about his girlfriend, because for 1) you genuinely liked how sweet she was and you had the habit of living your non-existent love life through their relationship and 2) you preferred the role of the attentive listener while eating.

‘She said it’s a surprise, but I’m pretty sure we’ll have a picnic,’ Felix said with a little laugh before he went into more details about Yewon’s lovely idea for their own, private celebration next week as she had needed to go home to Busan due to a family emergency you didn’t plan to pry about. It clearly wasn’t your business.

As always when you spent time with your best friend, your laugh was a bit more honest, your personality a bit more dorky and you couldn’t stay pissed at him for longer than two minutes when he chose a movie you would have never even considered watching without him being around. You were hiding behind the blondie’s shoulder, drumming with your legs out of fear and frustration while you reached for one of the cupcakes he had on a metal tray atop of his lap. You had sworn you wouldn’t have tried them until the movie had a calmer vibe, but you were already halfway through it and it showed no signs of less psychological torture.

Since your eyes were half-closed and the only source of light in the living room was your TV, you didn’t bother with checking which flavour you put your hand on. Instead, you peeled off the cupcake liner with one swift movement and took a huge bite from it as though Felix had ever restored your faith in his taste.

Cinnamon and orange mixed perfectly atop of your tongue and the fluffy texture of the dough melted in your mouth. You needed to take another bite and one more to make sure your taste buds weren’t messing with you. The dessert your friend had brought was just this good.

‘Heol! These are heaven!’ You moaned a bit breathless when you tried a different flavour and it tasted just as good: the white chocolate and the raspberry complementing each other instead of fighting for dominance. You found yourself hoping Felix had brought dark chocolate ones, too, while you were simultaneously wondering which additional flavour would have balanced out the bitter aftertaste. Mango? Banana?

‘I know, right? Like I said, my favourite place,’ he bragged with a cheeky smile as he picked a random flavour and shoved the cupcake into your mouth. It tasted like salted caramel and reminded you of summer vacations when you had finally had enough money and freedom to visit the countryside on your own.

‘Oh, yeah? Where did you get these from?’ You asked between two bites. You narrowed your eyes and hovered over the tray, so that you could make a better judgement on the flavours of the remaining cupcakes. They all smelled delicious and two of them had that unmistakable, chocolatey aroma to them that made your mouth water.

‘Coffee Carat, obviously,’ Felix said and you snapped your head in his direction so abruptly, you headbutted his chin on accident, eliciting a groan from him with your carelessness.

In any other situation, the apology would have already rolled off your lips, but the revelation closed up your throat and made your tongue feel heavy. Confusion and disbelief knitted your brows together as you took another tentative bite from the cupcake in your hand. Obviously, it tasted nothing like the ones you had tried back in the coffee shop and suddenly the private messages you had gotten after you had posted your review flooded your mind.

Your fingertips dug into the soft texture of your dessert and the dough stuck under your nails, clinging into you like the memories of Mingyu’s whining that it hadn’t been his cupcakes you had tasted, that he wanted another chance to redeem his worth.

You didn’t notice how hard your teeth were tearing into your chapped lower lip until the damage was done and you could taste your own, coppery blood in your mouth. Fuck. Why were you feeling sorry for how you had replied to him when it didn’t change a thing. They had sold those cupcakes to you. And they were nothing special.

Your concerns must have been visible due to the deep furrows on your forehead and the small pout on your lips because the first thing your messy mind successfully took in was your best friend nudging you with a poorly concealed smile on his face. You straightened your posture and leaned your back against the backrest of your couch.

‘Is that guilt on your face?’

It was. However, you refused to acknowledge it out loud. That would have meant you had made a mistake when you had written your criticism, that blocking Mingyu hadn’t been the right thing to do and a rational part of you knew you did nothing wrong. Sure, lots of places, from high-end restaurants to family businesses, had a star chef or baker they advertised their menus with - especially when these people were not only talented, but handsome as well -, however, it didn’t necessarily mean they prepared all the food on their own. In fact! It was rather rare that one person was behind all the delicious creations. Which meant it was their own responsibility that each and every employee reached the bar.

‘Tsk, why would it be? I wrote about the food they served me,’ you retorted and stuffed the damned chocolate cupcake into your mouth out of spite so that Felix had no chance to taste it. Not that, in the back of your head, you weren’t aware that he must have been a regular at the coffee shop, hence could have tried all of these flavours out already.

To show your friend how determined you were to put an end to this conversation, you steeled yourself and kept your eyes on the screen even during the most disturbing scenes. You didn’t cave in when Felix tried to stare a hole into your temple with what you assumed was his best kicked puppy eyes. You didn’t seek shelter in the crook of his neck even when you felt like you were at your limit. You stayed strong, stubborn as a mule, and finished all the cupcakes on his tray as some sort of childish punishment that he let you have.

Damn. They tasted so much better. You hated the perfect balance of flavours and the fluffy yet filling texture with every fibre in your body - you did so almost as fervently as you loved each bite. You were clearly and unequivocally screwed.

You weren’t stupid. You might not have known every teeny tiny detail of Felix’s motives, but you should have been extremely oblivious to not realise he was trying to make you go back to Coffee Carat with the amount of cupcakes he had been bringing to your friendly dates lately. Even when you had been supposed to go out and grab some coffee at a different place, he had managed to bring you some of the sweet desserts for later and acted like it was perfectly normal to walk into a café and order brownies with another place’s cupcakes in your hand.

Slowly but surely he had been getting on your nerves until the situation had gotten to a point where you had needed to confront him whether he had accepted money from those people in exchange for his help. The accusation had earned an offended scoff from the blondie, but you had had every right to be suspicious, so you had refused to apologise.

Instead, you were thinking of ways he could have made it up to you when fueled by Felix’s persistence that festered into your own, growing guilt, you crossed the threshold of Coffee Carat for a second time, barely three months after your first visit.

While you were waiting for your turn in front of the counter, you gave yourself a pep talk and brainstormed about how you should have recorded your video differently since the interior design barely changed over the months. It more or less took your mind off the unfamiliarity of the situation and the possibility of another disappointment.

‘Hey! You came back!’ The barista who had approached you last time said, his smile so big and bright that it made you believe he still liked you and your articles despite your opinion about his workplace. His attitude made you grateful; you made a mental note to mention his professionalism in your follow-up criticism. ‘Are you here to try out our seasonal specials? They’re made with peaches.’

You stole a quick glance at the displays: all those cold drinks and sweets that were made with peaches, but still shook your head.

‘No, actually I’m here to—’

‘You!’ Someone exclaimed and you turned your head in the direction from where you heard the voice on instinct just how Seokmin did.

The man whose index finger was pointing at you was almost too tall to stand on the threshold comfortably, but somehow he managed even with his chin held high and his spine unnaturally straight. The flickering flames in his chocolate brown eyes dressed your arms in goosebumps, but you stood your ground and resisted the urge to look behind your back and check whether he was talking to someone else.

‘Me?’ You asked, breaking the momentary silence, eyebrows furrowed more because of your confusion than his intimidating aura.

‘Yes, you!’ The man claimed and let his hand fall back by his side before he took a few loose steps towards you and grabbed your wrist so naturally like he had every right to touch you even though the two of you had never met before.

Later, when your nosy best friend would ask you where did your survival instincts go when a random guy dragged you to the closest empty table without your consent, you would put all the blame on how freaking ridiculous this whole situation was. You wouldn’t admit that his grip was actually gentle or that he smelled like raspberry and chocolate, one of your all time favourite combinations. The latter two were obviously irrelevant.

‘Wait here!’ He commanded leaving you no choice but to comply because of how quick he was to turn his back on you as soon as he pulled the chair out for you and pushed you down on the hard, wooden furniture. You had never been so lost for words in your entire life.

As the shock started to slowly wear off, you contemplated whether you should have stood up and finished your order at the counter, but considering that Seokmin had done nothing to save you from this man and they were wearing the same uniform, you assumed it was for the best if you did as he asked you. Worst case scenario, you could still ask for the manager or make a complaint directly to the owner. Nothing too extreme that would have gotten him fired, but something that would have made him think twice before he did anything like this to another customer in the future.

You were a strong believer that manners should have been of the utmost importance in every establishment in the catering industry.

It was the sharp sound of a metal tray colliding with the top of your table that pulled you back to the present, the delicious smell of freshly baked cupcakes only registering in you a couple of seconds later. In front of you, there were at least a dozen of different flavours from peach and white chocolate through bananas and cinnamon to raspberry and mint. The amount of saliva that gathered in your mouth at the heavenly sight wasn’t even funny.

Caution being thrown out the window, you acted on autopilot when you reached out for one with melted chocolate chips on top and took a huge bite from it. Good gracious! It tasted just as good as everything else Felix had brought for your friendly dates.

‘Here! It’s on the house,’ a familiar voice said and you shifted your gaze from the iced white mocha to the person who had placed it in front of you, worry clear and evident in his words. ‘Please, forgive him for acting so disrespectfully.’

Seokmin looked like he was about to throw up (or throw fists, you really weren’t sure) when his eyes accidentally met yours and he bent his back so quickly and deeply, you were afraid he would hit his forehead into his knees because of the momentum.

‘I’m not acting disrespectfully. She’s the one who blocked me for no reason,’ the giant said, proving your assumptions right. He was an employee at the shop: the baker who was praised by many and defended by even more because of his delicious creations. As childish as he acted, you had to admit that a part of you could understand why he was so upset about your article. It mocked his worth and hurt his ego although you still stood by your opinion. It was on them that they had sold those average quality desserts.

‘Dude, shut up,’ Seokmin hissed, the action so raw and human that you had to swallow back an amused chuckle. Their friendly bickering in the customer area, right in front of a customer no less, was highly unprofessional, but somehow you couldn’t mind their actions. You should have done so, you always did, but their duo was more entertaining than anything else, so you let them be for a couple of more seconds before you cleared your throat.

‘It’s okay. I appreciate your kindness, but I would rather pay for this,’ you said with a small tilt of your head. You lifted your mug a bit higher, then pointed your index finger at the tray on the table. ‘And the cupcakes as well.’

‘You don’t…’ Seokmin started, but you dismissed his worries with a firm set of mocha-tinted lips and a pair of eyes that accepted no further objection.

‘I insist,’ you added before you took another sip, satisfied with the silence that followed your statement. You watched as the barista’s gaze met his coworker’s for a brief moment before he nodded in a tentative manner, reassuring you that in case you finished, you wouldn’t have to wait in line to pay until it was him behind the counter, and turned his back on you two.

Knowing well that you wouldn’t have jumped the queue even if you hadn’t had the entire day for yourself, you stared at his back while leaving for a tad bit longer than it was necessary, then turned back to the giant with a raised eyebrow.

‘So?’ He asked as soon as he had all your attention and you took another bite from the dessert for good measure, as though you hadn’t been addicted to his cupcakes since the day Felix and you had celebrated your best friend’s promotion.

‘They’re one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever tried,’ you admitted, blunt and raw in the way you formed your opinion, which earned a goofy smile from the baker. His sharp canines and naturally rosy lips did something to your head; you almost bit back the rest of your words just to protect his smile, but the realisation what you had been about to do horrified you enough to sober you up and push you forwards. ‘But you have to understand that I still can’t give this place a ten even though it might deserve a correction,’ you claimed, turning back ahead, so that you faced the table, at the first sight of an ugly twitch in the corner of his mouth.

Considering what you had already seen from his personality, you had a vague idea what to expect and with his darkening facial expression and pitched voice, the man did not prove you wrong.

‘What? But you’ve just said it yourself that—’

You lifted your empty hand next to your head to make Mingyu shut up before he could have started a tantrum. You had already known he felt wronged, you didn’t need the reminder.

‘Your cupcakes are exceptional, but this place clearly has employees whose aren’t,’ you said, not letting your arm fall back on your lap until you were at least eighty percent sure that he understood your reasoning.

Mingyu’s pouty lips and sad eyes made him look like a giant puppy who had been kicked out from home and your heart clenched when you saw him shift his weight from one foot to the other while he was struggling with his thoughts. The furrows on his forehead made it clear that he desperately wanted to come up with a good comeback that could have potentially changed your mind, but to his misfortune, there was no such thing. You spoke straight facts no one could argue with.

‘I didn’t even want a baker’s assistant, it’s all Rina noona’s fault,’ he mumbled, his complaint quiet enough to make you question whether these words had been meant to be spoken in the first place.

In the end, you didn’t ask for a more detailed explanation nor did you make comments on how he should have trained his assistant better instead of putting the blame on a third party. You simply took another cupcake in your hand and opted for letting him know with your dismissive body language that your decision was final.

Luckily, the afternoon rush was about to start and the more people walked into the coffee shop, the less baked goods stayed behind the displays. Therefore, the man had to go back to the kitchen and leave you alone with your cupcakes despite the desperation in each one of his movements that made it painfully obvious that he didn’t want to give up yet.

Without his overbearing gaze suffocating you, you could finish your food in a good mood and record a few videos for your channel as well before you walked up to the line in front of the counter and paid once it was your turn.

It might have gone against your principles to visit a place so soon just because your criticism made them upset, but these cupcakes… they were worth bending your ways for. Even if you refused to redeem their name entirely.

You had never been at Coffee Carat with Felix before. Not because you refused to go back to the coffee shop after your second visit, but because you liked to discover new gems during your friendly dates and the blondie had never complained about it so far.

However, when one of the chefs you had given a bad review decided to mess with your tires and fuck up your car, that was where your best friend took you after his shift to take your mind off your horrible day.

‘No way man! Is she your girlfriend?’ The blond barista asked as soon as his gaze fell on you and Felix and you furrowed your brows in confusion because of two totally different things: 1) since when was your best friend so close with the employees of this place that they used not only informal speech with him, but threw their manners out the window when they talked to him? And 2) how could this guy mistake you for Yewon when your personalities and your preferences in clothes and colours couldn’t have been more different?

A part of you was convinced that the couple was a regular at the shop, hence the only logical explanation you could have come to was that this barista was either a newbie or somehow he never worked when those two walked into Coffee Carat together.

‘Best friend,’ came the correction from your right and the mortified look on the barista’s face made up for his mistake generously. His red cheeks and crimson ears, his dilating eyes tugged on the corners of your lips and coaxed an amused scoff out of you.

‘I’ll have an iced white mocha and a brownie, please,’ you decided to order to spare all three of you from embarrassment and turned towards Felix with the intent to ask him whether he wanted to carry out the whole cheering-you-up agenda and pay for your drink or you should have fished your wallet out of your bag.

‘No cupcakes?’ The boy asked before you could have spoken and you pressed your lips into a firm line, not pondering over the question for longer than three seconds. Felix was right. You had had a terrible encounter with a maniac earlier that day. You deserved the extra dessert.

Humming in contemplation, you eyed the cupcakes behind the display and pointed at the pile that was placed behind the plastic card I Feel Peachy written on it.

‘And two of those,’ you asked, feeling a bit better already at the sight of the generous amount of chocolate chips sprinkled atop of the cupcakes. You hoped they were made by Mingyu and not the giant baker’s assistant as you were rather sceptical that he had trained his subordinate to perfection in the past few weeks.

‘That’s my girl,’ Felix cheered and asked for a matcha latte and a brownie, swiping his card like he was a billionaire.

Only later, when you were sitting in the customer area, teasing your best friend because of his sugar daddy vibe, did you get to know that so close to the closing time every baked good was sold for a lower price. It surprised you, pleasantly so, and you couldn’t have helped but think that it was very nice of the owner to prioritise not having too much leftover instead of money. After all, those pastries they failed to sell by the time they closed the shop couldn’t have been sold the following morning. They had to be thrown out according to the local regulations.

You were thinking of buying some more cakes to support the shop and their attempt to reduce food waste when someone pushed the front door open with such force, the wood crashed into the wall with an alarming thud. Your best friend and you - along with the other six customers in the coffee shop - snapped your head in the intruder’s direction, shocked by the petite girl’s dishevelled hair and tense body language. She looked like she had come here to commit murder and you had never been more relieved in your life that it hadn’t been you who had rubbed another person the wrong way.

‘Do you kno—’

‘Where is he?’ She demanded, pointing at the blond barista accusatively as though he had already refused to answer her question when in reality he just seemed too speechless to form a coherent sentence. You felt bad for him, but you weren’t sure you had any right to confront this girl - not to mention that you had enough drama in your life with a vengeful chef who had promised to make you regret ruining his career. Considering that he hadn’t been fired after giving you food poisoning, you were convinced that he was stretching it.

You lowkey wondered whether this girl was acting like a drama queen as well or her attitude was justified. Not that you supported screaming in public under any circumstances.

‘Excuse me, miss! Who are you looking for?’ The blond barista asked as soon as he collected himself and you leaned your elbow on the table so that you could have rested your chin atop of your palm. Although his reaction time was definitely on the slower side of the scale, you were genuinely impressed by his manners; you were sure you would have failed miserably if you had been the one who had to handle a cyclone like this girl.

‘That good-for-nothing Kim Mingyu, who else?’ She spat, not giving a damn about the man who walked into the coffee shop after her or the old woman who tried to make an order, but failed to gain the barista’s attention because of her tantrum.

You watched as a handsome guy with round, nerdy glasses rushed out of the staff only area with an anxious-looking girl behind his back and wondered when she had disappeared behind the curtains to find the manager because you admittedly hadn’t paid too much attention to her presence. You had been too engrossed in your own world and the wide variety of desserts you could have chosen from.

In your defence, you were sure most customers didn’t care about the staff of these kinds of places, only that one employee who was serving them.

‘I’m not leaving until he grows some balls and speaks to me!’ The girl claimed angrily when the guy said something to her in a voice too quiet to be audible from where you were sitting. You lifted your drink in front of your lips and took a small sip, just as shocked as Felix was when the girl pushed the manager aside and hit the counter with her palms. Your bewildered gaze met your best friend’s eyes for a sheer second before you both turned back towards the ongoing drama. ‘I know you’re in there,’ she pointed at the door close to the counter. ‘Come out you self-centred bastard or else I’ll drag you out myself.’

While everyone was waiting for the baker to make an appearance - you saw two teenage boys recording the happenings with their phones -, you recalled your first encounter with the giant, puppy-like boy and wondered what he could have potentially done to piss this tiny girl off so badly. Considering that he had completely disregarded your personal space last time, you had a couple of ideas, but for some reason none of those sounded too believable, not even in your head. Sure, he was headstrong and whiny, but would he have hurt her on purpose?

You shook your head. It didn’t matter what you thought. You didn’t know him.

Still, you sucked in your breath when the baker walked out the door with a piece of cloth on his shoulder. He looked like a mess: there was flour on his apron and shirt, his hair stuck out in numerous directions and he also had some dirt on his chin although you couldn’t have told what exactly. Maybe some chocolate cream or cinnamon syrup.

‘I’m here. Can you please stop making a scene?’ Mingyu asked in a surprisingly icy tone that complemented his rigid posture perfectly. His arms were linked in front of his chest in a way that highlighted his muscles and you had to take another sip from your mocha to cool down before your imagination could have run wild. So what if he had looked like someone who hit up the gym frequently? Trouble was clearly written all over his face with capital letters.

‘Why? Does this feel humiliating to you? Am I humiliating you?’ The girl asked with a scoff, tilting her head to the right to mock him with her body language, too. You knew the type: she was petty and ready to give back tenfold whatever Mingyu had done to her. ‘Then you finally know how I felt when I was waiting for you for hours in that restaurant where even breathing in the wrong way is a crime,’ she raised her voice even more, enlightening everyone on what had hurt her so much and getting different reactions from those who were witnessing their (pretty much one-sided) fight. Looking around in the customer area, you saw your best friend shaking his head in disappointment and a boy having enough of the drama and turning back to his laptop. One girl pointed at Mingyu while whispering to the person next to her. You just drank some more. You had been to those kinds of restaurants dozens of times. You had no doubt the experience had been humiliating. Especially if it had been her first time at a place like that where even the waitresses wore tailored uniforms. ‘They had to send me away so that people who actually went there to order more than a glass of wine could eat,’ the girl spat, her frustration slurring her words a little at the end of her monologue.

You felt sorry for her even though you thought she was overreacting.

‘I’m sorry, but I’ve already told grams I’m not interested in going on random blind dates she and her friends set up for me,’ Mingyu said, not taking his eyes off the girl he had stood up intentionally or unintentionally. He claimed it was their grandmothers who had organised the date, but he had never said he hadn’t known when and where he should have shown up. Did he have the girl’s number saved? Did he know her name?

‘Not interested?’ She scoff-laughed. ‘You think you’re so amazing because you’re tall? Your skin looks like you were sweating on a farm your whole life, pathetic, really. I wouldn’t want a second date with your sorry ass even if you begged,’ she said with her index finger pointed at the baker. She acted more pathetic than a minute before if that had been possible.

Objectively speaking, everyone must have been aware that Mingyu’s beautiful, tanned skin didn’t fit your country’s ridiculous beauty standards, but this was the core problem with how a lot of people in South Korea looked at beauty. It should have been a subjective matter, not a long list with endless items everyone tried to tick off.

You genuinely believed that the boy’s natural, sun-kissed skin looked a lot healthier than the pale complexion many people desired to have and tried to achieve with make-up.

‘Excuse me, miss,’ the manager raised his voice while taking a step to the left to protect the baker from the girl as though there hadn’t been a big enough distance between the two. ‘We don’t tolerate degrading comments like this in our coffee shop. I need to ask you to leave or else I’ll call the police,’ he gave the petite girl a fair warning, something you weren’t sure she deserved, but knew it was necessary.

‘The police? On what grounds?’ She asked back, shifting a part of her attention to the person who was talking to her without really looking at the young man. Instead, she put her other hand on her hip, too, shaking her head.

‘You’re disturbing the peace, harassing the employees and as of now, you’re banned from the shop, which means you’re trespassing,’ the manager listed, making you furrow your brows in question. You might have done a detailed research on media law when you had started to gain fame on the internet just to avoid some unwanted, nasty consequences, but you had obviously never studied law. You had no idea whether she really committed trespassing if she refused to leave, but the manager sounded confident enough for you to consider it as a valid option. The question was whether she believed him as well or was willing to take a chance.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’

You sucked in a breath and leaned a little closer to the commotion subconsciously. This girl was clearly furious, most probably because she had felt humiliated in that restaurant, but was it really worth being called the cops on?

‘Seungkwan, call the police, please. Tell them that—’

‘Screw you! All of you,’ she screamed into the manager’s face, pointing at the blond barista, Mingyu and everyone who were watching the drama. Then, she pushed the manager’s broad shoulder with her hand, fueled with frustration, and turned her back on everyone, so that she could speed-walk to the double door.

The straw between your teeth was so damaged, you could barely use it anymore when your gaze loitered over the employees a tad bit longer than it should have and your eyes met the baker’s chocolate orbs. You turned your head away so quickly like he burnt, shame creeping under your skin and tinting your ears and neck crimson in fist-sized patches. There was no way he didn’t know now that you had been paying attention to the drama, which meant he must have thought you were nosy.

You let out a pained groan.

‘People are getting crazier and crazier these days,’ Felix commented and you needed to make extra effort to not concentrate on your iced mocha in a way that could have been considered suspicious when you let out an affirmative hum.

Despite having your own car and preferring it over the crowded metros and buses you should have taken to get around in the city, you knew how public transportation worked. You even had your own T-money card somewhere in your wallet, so you really didn’t understand why your best friend acted like he owed you a ride home when he told you that he had plans with two of the baristas after closing time. Clearly, you had had a terrible day and your car had been caught in the crossfire, but you were also an adult. You could get your ass on the metro when you needed to.

‘I can take her home,’ you heard a familiar voice say and you both snapped your head in the baker’s direction on instinct, slim fingers tightening around the paper cup of iced coffee you had gotten along with the cupcakes you had purchased for the morning.

As if he had no shame, Mingyu shot a lopsided smile in your direction and made no attempt to hide that he had been eavesdropping. His elbow was still resting atop of the counter while his chin was casually on the back of his hand.

‘Would you really? Thanks, mate! You’re a lifesaver,’ your best friend exclaimed, completely disregarding the displeased glares you were giving him. He knew damn well that you didn’t like owing people, let alone someone you weren’t close with. If anything, the fact that the two of you had known each other for years and you still had problems receiving help from him when you were sick should have been a telltale sign.

You cleared your throat to express that you also had your own two cents to throw into the conversation that should have involved you in the first place.

‘Thank you, but I can take the metro. It’s no big deal, really, Felix’s just acting like I’m still five and snotty,’ you declined the baker’s offer with a patient smile, keeping your cool with grace in your every movement: in the way you held your chin high, how you lifted your paper cup in front of your lips. You took a small sip from your drink as elegantly yet unbothered as you could, mentally ready to leave the coffee shop for another month or two.

A boy and a girl left the building in the background, the unmistakable sound of a heavy door slipping into its frame encouraging you to bid your goodbye, too.

However, you were too slow.

‘She lives in Hongdae,’ your best friend said so casually, it made you wonder whether he was oblivious of the dangers of such a statement in public or he would have trusted this guy with his life and was messing with you on purpose.

‘Yongbok!’ You hissed, but he just laughed it off with a gentle wave of his hand as if you had been pseudo-sulking and he had better things to discuss than dealing with you. You bit into your cheeks and swallowed down a curse, making a mental note to tell on him to Yewon, because you knew for a fact that she would have taken your side without a second thought. She was a young girl who had moved to the capital city because of her studies. She knew the differences between the countryside and Seoul at night and in general.

‘Then it’s not even a detour,’ Mingyu said and you rolled your eyes, because he couldn’t have known for sure just from the district. It was a big area, considering the traffic, it could have meant an hour-long detour, too, for all you cared.

Honestly, you didn’t understand why he had offered you a ride in the first place. It wasn’t that the two of you were friends. You might have written a correction about his cupcakes, but his blog was still blocked on your Tumblr.

When his gaze landed on you, you let out a sigh.

‘It’s already dark outside. Let me take you home,’ Mingyu asked after he finally spared you a glance and it took everything in you to not squeeze the living daylight out of your coffee. You didn’t want to inconvenience the baristas who would need to clean up the mess, especially because both Seungkwan and Junhui had been fun when they had prepared your orders.

‘What makes you think I’m comfortable with you knowing where I live?’ You asked back, tongue sharp and merciless. Obviously, you would have liked to believe that your best friend wouldn’t have pushed you into a shady person’s arms just to be able to hang out with his other friends right after closing time, but the baker was technically still a stranger, so you had every right to put up your defences even if some considered it rude. It was your life, your sense of safety.

The silence that fell upon your trio didn’t resemble anything poetic. It didn’t feel like a warm blanket that shielded you from the cold; it wasn’t ugly and sticky and uncomfortable. Instead, it existed without picking on your skin or filtering out the background noise.

You gulped when memories from an hour prior popped up in your mind. You saw the petite girl storming into the coffee shop, screaming at Mingyu and calling him a farmer like it was an insult. You saw the baker’s unbothered facial expression slowly morphing into something sad and you could feel your resolve breaking as your brain identified the sight with a kicked puppy. You swore, the boy’s chocolate orbs were shining in the artificial light, tricking your heart into thinking he was about to cry.

‘Fine,’ you groaned in defeat. ‘Do you need me to wait here or…’

Mingyu’s smile was blinding.

‘Give me five more minutes and we can go,’ he promised and you acknowledged his words with a silent nod before you took a seat by a random, empty table.

You liked to believe that you were an independent, mature adult, but after the bravado he had pulled, it wasn’t below you to give your best friend the silent treatment. Thus, you paid him no mind while you were waiting and bid him goodbye only because it would have been rude if you hadn’t. You didn’t hate him. You simply wanted him to think twice before he had even thought of doing something similar to this in the future without your permission.

A part of you was hoping that the ride to your apartment complex would be spent in silence, maybe, listening to the radio or a playlist you would have never put on on your own, but of course you couldn’t have been so lucky. You couldn’t have reached the first red light, Mingyu was already rambling about his grandmother and her obsession with his love life as he was her only single grandchildren.

‘Look, it’s really not my business. I’m sorry I was eavesdropping when that girl came in, but in my defence, it was hard not to,’ you decided to put an end to both of your suffering, since it wasn’t an easy topic - family had never been one, not to you at least. If he insisted that you should have gotten to know each other while you were in his car, you would have much preferred starting with lighter subjects like what had made him become a baker or how he had come up with those recipes he was so proud of. Food… that you could have talked about for hours.

‘I know, I’m just saying tha—’

‘I can’t bake to save my life,’ you blurted out the first thing you could think of before he could have given you another lengthy explanation he didn’t owe you at all. Whether Mingyu had stood that girl up intentionally or he had underestimated the length his grandmother was willing to go to like he had said, it didn’t matter to you. At the end of the day, even if you had become acquaintances, you weren’t interested in him romantically, were you?

‘What?’ He snapped his head in your direction, making you point towards the road ahead in fear.

‘Eyes on the road!’ You demanded and you didn’t let your hand fall back on your lap until he did as you said. Once the shock of the moment passed, you needed to take a few deeper breaths to calm your heart, while the baker on your left let out an embarrassed, little laugh like he didn’t actually know what to do with himself.

You were grateful that he didn’t let go of the steering wheel with one of his hands to scratch his nape awkwardly like most people usually did in similar situations. Not the letting go of the steering wheel part, but the unconscious scratching.

‘Would you like me to teach you? How to bake,’ Mingyu specified, his question rolling off his lips with a little uncertainty, like he was fearing your reaction, which was ridiculous. You didn’t have a significant place in each other’s life, you were nobody to him but a girl who had dared to criticise his workplace and knew a guy his coworkers were close with.

You raised an eyebrow. Where was the infamous confidence that urged him to drag you to an empty table without a fair warning and feed you with his best desserts just to prove a point?

‘If I remember correctly, you didn’t want your own baker’s assistant. What makes you think you’re not an insufferable teacher?’ You asked, not out of spite, just to trigger a reaction that showed which one was the real him. Was his confidence all an act, something he perfected over the years because of his relatively handsome face? Did his personality change so much around particular people? Was it harder for him to believe in himself because of the article you had written about Coffee Carat or because he didn’t know what to expect from you?

Mingyu’s laugh was deep and it reverberated around the interior of the car, tugging on your edges and smoothing them effortlessly.

‘That’s a fair point. We might have to give it a try to figure it out,’ he teased as he took a turn to the right then stopped at the end of a painfully long line in front of the closest red lights. The traffic was as heavy as you had predicted. ‘But really, my offer still stands,’ he made sure you were aware and you acknowledged it with a curt nod.

It wasn’t that you totally hated the idea, you just weren’t sure you wanted to accept his offer and spend time together with him in an informal environment. Not because you thought he was bound to catch feelings for you; you knew more frequently than not people simply didn’t feel that spark regardless of one’s looks. Instead, you had doubts you could manage one more person in your private life. You might have been your own boss, you might have been able to spare time for friends almost whenever you wanted, but keeping in touch with more than two or three people at the same time was draining even for your generally extroverted ass. You didn’t like retelling a story multiple times, sometimes you were demotivated to answer texts immediately. One more person meant one more relationship to put effort into.

Unless he gave up on you as soon as he saw what a disaster you were in the kitchen when it came to desserts.

‘Can I turn on the radio?’ You asked after a couple of heartbeats, sneaking a glance at the boy by your side, trying to decipher how he felt about your question and your dismissive attitude. Was he disappointed? Did he feel stupid for bringing it up?

‘Sure,’ he agreed kindly, letting you pick a channel and telling you in way too much detail how you could have connected your phone to the audio system if you couldn’t find anything up to your liking.

During the rest of the ride, you didn’t speak much. You chose the first channel that played a pop song you were distantly familiar with and opted for staring out the window, watching the colourful neon lights blending into the yellow beams of the street lamps.

Still, when it was time to say goodbye, it wasn’t unpleasant or unnerving. On the contrary, there was a visible smile in the corner of your mouth when you closed the passenger door and lifted your hand for a polite wave.

You unblocked Mingyu’s blog on Tumblr two weeks later, in early August, when your best friend was unavailable because of an unannounced family visit - an early birthday surprise from Australia because his parents couldn’t take any days off at the same time in September - and you had too much food to eat on your own. The two of you had planned to have another movie night, so you had ordered plenty of mandus, kimbap balls and tteokbokki, while Felix had been supposed to bring dessert, which is why the giant baker came to your mind in the first place.

you: “is your offer still standing?”

You sent the message with quite low expectations. After all, it had been months since you had last spoken on this platform and you couldn’t have been sure whether he had remembered it existed. Based on the default profile picture he had and the lack of reblogs other than a couple of cooking memes from a month ago, you honestly doubted he checked on it regularly.

And he really didn’t. But at least the food didn’t taste horrible after you reheated it the next day in the microwave.

Your bi-weekly baking sessions with Mingyu had started with a bunch of double-texts:

milkgyuandcookies: “are you free tonight?” milkgyuandcookies: “i’ll be there in an hour just need to take a quick detour” milkgyuandcookies: “with which flavour should we start?” milkgyuandcookies: “seokmin said felix said you like chocolate so i bought chocolate chips and tons of cocoa powder” you: “are you really coming? like… are you really on your way here?” you: “what if i’m busy? or if i’m not even at home?” milkgyuandcookies: “are you?” milkgyuandcookies: “that’s a bit awkward then cuz i’m already here” milkgyuandcookies: “so you’re really not home?” you: “…” you: “give me five minutes”

Mingyu as a teacher was more patient with you than you had expected him to be based on his displeased comment on his baker’s assistant and a lot more zealous than he should have been considering your repeated mistakes with the baking soda that made even you, a complete newbie, feel tired and snappy on the fourth week, let alone a professional. Shouldn’t have he gotten tired of you after the second time you failed to measure the powder accurately? If your pride could have taken the blow, you would have given up on baking a long time ago.

‘I still think it’s the size of your kitchen,’ Mingyu claimed after he crouched down and took the tray out of your oven. Watching him move around in your small space, you remembered the disbelief on his face when he had first come over: how he couldn’t have believed there were kitchens out there where the oven and the fridge weren’t built into the complete set of kitchen furniture, preferably at his chest’s height as though being so tall was common in your country.

‘Yeah, sure,’ you shook your head in amusement, loving the chocolatey smell of the cupcakes you had baked, the third and most promising attempt that night.

You reached for the cream you had prepared for decoration, skipping on the fondant because last time you had given it a try, it took hours to make them look good and you started to get tired of standing. As usual, Mingyu had come over after his morning shift around four and it was already nearing eight. Thankfully, you had had a dinner break an hour ago.

‘No, but listen! With more space, you could feel less crowded and more relaxed,’ he argued, coaxing an airy scoff out of you when he hit your hand lightly to remind you to be patient. The cupcakes were still hot, you shouldn’t have touched them with bare hands.

‘Just admit you want to show off your kitchen and shut up,’ you groaned pseudo-annoyed with a hint of a smile hiding in the corner of your lips. You were genuinely waiting for the comment, anticipating it even, and if you wanted to be honest, you had heard so much about his kitchen equipment by now, you were actually considering asking Mingyu to facetime you from home just to show you around. However, your curiosity needed to stop there for both of your sake. ‘I won’t go over to your place just to destroy your kitchen, too. I don’t earn that well,’ you complained and watched him as he placed the warm cupcakes on two separate porcelain plates.

When Mingyu’s hand came to a halt in midmotion, you slid your gaze from the dessert to his face. He looked at you sceptically like he was about to call you out on your bullshit and you shrugged in response. Okay, maybe you earned that well, but it wasn’t what mattered.

‘What if I want you to come over, so I could cook for you? We could call it a date,’ he asked and it was your turn to raise a brow. By now, you knew that his confident and insecure selves came hand in hand, but it was the first time he didn’t beat around the bush by flirting with you shamelessly.

On most occasions, Mingyu brushed aside his own advances with a carefree chuckle before you could have taken him seriously. This time, however, he kept his warm eyes on your face, waiting.

You looked away and cleared your throat.

‘Aren’t there like a dozen of granddaughters in your hometown who are waiting for your grandma to set them up with you?’ You asked, because you could and because deep down you were a little desperate to avoid answering his question with the level of seriousness he most probably wanted you to. The teasing chuckle that stuck in your throat tasted bitter, like a nasty knot that went bad the moment you decided to not let it out.

You took a transparent bag filled with lilac coloured cream in your hand and pulled one of the porcelain plates closer to yourself.

‘You know I hate those blind dates,’ he claimed firmly and you hummed because you knew. Mingyu had the habit of giving you detailed explanations about things that were absolutely not your business. How could you have not known at this point? ‘I only go on dates with girls I genuinely want to get to know. I really don’t understand what’s so bad about this! So what if I don’t date that much, it’s not like I’ll die alone,’ he groaned, the pain in his tone so real, you could feel it in your own chest. You were being unfair and you did feel bad. However, taking him seriously would have meant you had to give him an honest answer and you weren’t sure you were ready for the consequences.

It was easier when it was all about harmless flirting.

Sneaking a glance at the boy on your left, you recognised his frustration in the way the deep furrow between his brows became even more bottomless and you swallowed your guilt when the thought that he looked adorable with his darted out tongue crossed your mind.

‘I don’t think it’s bad,’ you stated, late enough to call it an afterthought, but not too late to make things awkward with your commentary. Or so you hoped.

‘But you don’t think it’s maintainable,’ Mingyu retorted, finishing the rose petals on his first cupcake with ease while the cream was still hanging clumsily in your hand. You took a deep breath and got to work.

‘I’m only saying you have a lot of options,’ you explained and while your words came out less neutral than you would have preferred, you kept your focus on your dessert to make up for the pinch of annoyance in your voice. You shouldn’t have cared how many girls he could have gotten with a flick of his fingers, so you told yourself you didn’t.

‘So? There are hundreds of restaurants that want you to write about them. Still, I don’t see you eating out every single night,’ he argued, forcing your brain to see the logic behind his metaphor.

You nodded in acknowledgement as you got started on your next cupcake, not finding the perfect retort for a couple of minutes, but thankfully, Mingyu didn’t rush you. Instead, he put a second colour in his plastic bag atop of the first pastel cream and created the most beautiful lilac-marigold roses you had ever seen.

If you wanted to be honest, you would have admitted you were scared. Not of Mingyu, even though he had some questionable habits you were still trying to adjust to and accept - but who didn’t have those -, but of a romantic relationship with another person: the quality time you had to spend with a significant other, the responsibilities you needed to share. How long could you two have been together before everyone around you started to talk about marriage and babies? How long could you have been with Mingyu before he started to yearn for all the conservative steps a relationship entailed?

What if you had fallen in love with him one day, but not the idea of raising his children? You liked your freedom and the simplicity of taking care of only yourself although life in general could be difficult.

You went over the pros and cons in your head repeatedly, until there were no more cupcakes in front of you without a poor attempt of a rose on top of them and reached for a chopstick as soon as you made up your mind. Sure, Mingyu might have been childish and whiney and a lot of immature adjectives in your dictionary. He wasn’t familiar with personal space when it was convenient to him and his ego could take only one or two blows when it came to his profession.

However, he gave you space and time when he realised you needed it and made you laugh with his dorky behaviour more frequently than not. He was patient and optimistic. He baked the most delicious desserts you had ever tasted and hated those disgusting movies Felix used to drive you out of the world under the disguise of your friendly dates.

Your hand was shaking slightly when you scraped the sugary cream off your last cupcake with intent behind each one of your swipes. Then, with your breath caught in your throat, you slid the finished baked good in front of Mingyu.

To keep your mind busy and the mood nonchalant, you didn’t turn towards the boy to ogle at his reaction. You simply walked up to the sink and washed your hands, so that they would be clean when you placed each one of your cupcakes on a tray that fit into your fridge.

You became aware of Mingyu’s presence right behind you sooner than you felt the light touch of his dirty arms around your shoulders. You shuddered from the unexpected weight he put on you. Or was your body reacting to the warmth of his breath against your ear?

‘I’ll never eat it. Never,’ he claimed and you rolled your eyes (affectionately).

‘Sure, I worked so hard to bake and decorate these, so that you wouldn’t eat them,’ you said, then turned off the tap water without pulling away or making any attempt at putting more distance between the two of you.

For a split second, you hesitated whether you should have turned around in his arms to make him let you go with your sharp gaze, but soon you came to the conclusion that doing so would have been too risky in the current situation. The ugly, clumsily craved “yes” on the top of your cupcake might have given him enough confidence to realise he also had some power over you. It wasn’t just the other way around.

In the end, you stepped aside, but he still followed you like a giant puppy, his chin resting on your shoulder. Your movements felt uncoordinated as though your body was suddenly three sizes bigger, but you managed to reach the kitchen counter and the confession you had left on it.

Grabbing the lukewarm dessert, you lifted it to your lips, but before you could have taken a huge bite from it, Mingyu linked his long fingers around your wrist and pulled it in front of his own mouth. The crumbs that accidentally fell into your shirt tickled your skin in places that were lowkey unpleasant, but instead of scolding him, you turned your head and dived into the sweets from a different angle.

‘Delicious,’ the baker moaned, exaggerating, earning another eye roll from you and you two finished the cupcake in the middle of your small kitchen until the back hugging position got too painful to maintain due to your height difference.

That night, while you were cleaning the kitchen, you promised Mingyu that you would show him the coolest restaurants in the city and that he could have called all of your dinners dates if he wanted. In exchange, he promised to bake you every cake from his grams’ famous recipe book, which you, too, were allowed to call a date.

You doubted it fitted the definition, but you didn’t draw his attention to his mistake. You were too content to care about semantics when you (thought you) knew exactly what he meant and couldn’t wait to experience it all.

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#seventeen scenarios #caratwritersclub #mingyu x reader #mingyu x you #mingyu #ssbyme #seventeen series #coffee shop au

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